Membership and Fellowship | Mar 3, 2022

Honoring Women Who Have Served

By Alicia Y. Christy, MD, MHSCR, FACOG

I have had the privilege of caring for active-duty service women and women veterans for more than 30 years. In addition to providing them with care, I use my artwork to honor them. My series of portraits, “Faces of the Fallen: Women Proudly Served,” is a tribute to women who lost their lives in service to our country, including Lieutenant Colonel Karen Wagner, who was my Company Commander when I was stationed at Walter Reed.

Now, I share these paintings as broadly as I can in order to honor the subjects and to tell their stories. The portraits have been part of the opening ceremonies for an Annual District Meeting of ACOG’s Armed Forces District, as well as a Healing Arts Exhibit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

This week, the portraits will be shown as a part of an exhibit featuring veteran artists at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and they will be part of my presentation on Art and Activism at the Office of Veterans Affairs Town Hall on Inclusion and Diversity on March 8. The collection will be also be part of a Veteran Artist exhibit at the Library of Congress in June.

It is my honor to share the contributions and sacrifice of all of these women who served.

Faces of the Fallen: Women Who Proudly Served


Remember the Sacrifice of Women Who Served	In Memory and Honor of LTC Karen Wagner Lieutenant Colonel Karen Wagner, was a Medical Service Corp officer who was killed during the attack on the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Her legacy remains an inspiration to everyone who knew Karen, and her contributions and sacrifice will long be remembered.	In Memory and Honor of SPC Piestewa Lori Ann Piestewa died in the same Iraqi attack in which fellow soldiers Shoshana Johnson and Jessica Lynch were injured. A member of the Hopi tribe, Piestewa was the first Native American woman to die in combat while serving in the U.S. military and the first woman in the U.S. military killed in the Iraq War. Arizona's Piestewa Peak is named in her honor.

In Memory and Honor of CPT Jennifer Moreno Captain Moreno was chosen from thousands of female Army officers and assigned to gather intelligence from Afghan women. She died in a bomb explosion, while running to help wounded soldiers. The 25-year-old was posthumously promoted to captain and awarded a Bronze Star with valor and a Purple Heart.	In Memory and Honor of SGT Nicole GEE Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee celebrated the joy of service just days before she was one of 13 U.S. service members killed in the suicide bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan. A week before her death, Gee, 23, posted a photo that showed her holding a baby at that airport. She added a simple, profound comment: "I love my job."	In Memory and Honor of SGT Johanny Rosario Johanny was killed outside the airport in Kabul, where she was processing Afghan allies seeking an exit from the Taliban takeover. “She helped over 30,000 people reach safety before she was killed by a suicide bomber,” Gov. Charlie Baker said at the vigil. Her family and friends say her real goal was to become a social worker to help protect children.

Topics Women's Health

Faces of the Fallen: Women Who Proudly Served

Latest Membership and Fellowship News

Please Confirm